We are both born and bred Tasmanians who have lived interstate and overseas, but the time came to return home to Tasmania. We have recently renovated our home in Hobart following our own relocation experience in 2011. We are enjoying the best that Tasmania has to offer and love to share our local knowledge with you through this blog.

Settled In is a Home Search and Relocation Services company which we established at the time of our move back to Tassie. We operate in all parts of Tasmania helping those relocating to or moving within Tasmania. We provide relocation and settling assistance to those moving to or within Tasmania, and home search services for anyone wanting to buy a property in Tasmania.

Jo Reardon

Jo has broad business experience, with degrees in both Commerce and Psychology. She has worked in a number of industries and has a background in project management, stakeholder management, marketing and event management, management consulting and strategic planning.

Jo’s project management skills will be crucial to ensure your relocation to Tasmania or home purchase is stress and hassle free. She loves a project and will ensure that your relocation takes place smoothly and exactly as you wish.

Jo grew up in Hobart (as Jo Dillon back then!) and studied Commerce at the University of Tasmania while also working in her first job at AMP in the late 1980s. Upon graduation she ventured to Melbourne which has been her main base for the past twenty years. While living interstate she always maintained a strong link to Tasmania through regular visits to see family and friends.

Dale Reardon

Dale is a lawyer by profession with extensive experience practicing as a barrister and solicitor including development and management as partner in his own firm. He is an experienced business manager providing strategic leadership and legal advice across various facets of the law and in general tourism business management.

Dale grew up in Launceston and studied Law at the University of Tasmania in Hobart and then practised in both Launceston and Kingston (a suburb of Hobart). Dale was heavily involved in the Tourism industry for seven years owning and operating several bed and breakfast properties in Battery Point, Tasmania. Dale’s family is also in Tasmania and he has strong family connections to the north of the State and the East Coast.

25 Comments

I have given months of thought as to my move over to Tasmania. I have made several visits there and stayed in places from Launceston to Hobart. I currently live in NE Victoria and as a pensioner need to find the most economical method of relocating. I have considered hiring a permitted large vehicle ( as I have a small household of items) and then will travel with my car and pets on the Spirit. Please give me what advice you can.
Kind regards

Hi Heather,
Thanks for your comment. It is expensive to move to Tasmania. Unfortunately you can only get your things across Bass Strait so many ways and none are cheap. I have written a blog post about moving your belongings which may help – see here.

Definitely get a few quotes for moving as you may find they can vary quite a lot. Plus it is worth trying to negotiate the price with removalists. Hiring a vehicle to do it yourself can be tricky as many places will not hire for that purpose and you may also need to return it to the same place.

Hi Jo, I have been thinking of moving to Tasmania for a while, I originally come from Wellington, NZ, have been living for the past 20 years in Brisbane and now want to move to a cooler region, without going back to NZ. I feel Tassie is it for me but never having been for a visit I don’t know what region/area to start to look at.
I have a home based business, but will need to find some work to supplement my income whilst I get my business up and running again. I love my home, garden, growing veg and fruits, love markets, love the ocean and the country also but need to be accessible for my clients. I have a wee dog, we love walking and the outdoors too. Where would the best area be for me to live, Currently I own my house, with a mortgage, but would probably rent for a while until I found my feet. Love to hear from you with some ideas please.
I enjoy movies and am friendly and out going, with a penchant for foodie groups and craft work.

Thanks for your comment. I actually lived in Wellington for three years in the 90s and found lots of similarities with Hobart. In Hobart you have the beautiful river and mountain framing the city, as well as a good climate with warm summers and cool to cold winters. You most definitely experience four seasons in Tasmania. I think Hobart and surrounding areas would work best for you, and if you want a semi rural lifestyle then perhaps the Channel areas part Kingston (Margate and south) and the Huon Valley. As a first step look at those areas on Google Maps and http://www.realestate.com.au to get an idea of costs to rent or buy.

If you would like more help with your planning, then please get in touch and I am happy to help.

I have just moved from Melbourne to Hobart and wish I stumbled across this blog earlier. I’ve had lots of trouble getting phone reception (am with Optus) but am hoping that will be resolved soon.

I wanted to ask about Ambulance cover. In melbourne, I was a member of Ambulance Victoria and they just charged me annually and if I had an accident while on holiday in another state, I would also be covered. Is this the same for Tas, or is it through the local council? If you have any information about what to do that would be great. I’m not expecting to become unwell, but don’t want to fall short!

Firstly, re your mobile reception, my best advice is to change to Telstra! I am not exactly their greatest fan in general, but in Tassie you really do need to be using their network to ensure good coverage and good call quality. This is especially the case once you are outside of the main cities.

In terms of Ambulance cover, it is different to Victoria. There is not a charge for ambulances in Tasmania. So you can count that as one cost saving!

Yes, I think you’re right about Telstra. I was hoping to avoid changing my contract, but Optus have said I have grounds to get out of my current one.

That’s great about Ambulance cover. I definitely am not planning on needing one, but you never know! best to be prepared. I think the next thing I need to do is swap my car registration, insurance details and driving licence over. I’m hoping this will be a little cheaper than Melbourne!

No problem at all. If you can get out of the Optus contract without penalty, then even better.

In terms of rego etc, just head to Service Tasmania for all of that. They handle all government services. I think it is a little cheaper, but not overly. Just call them first (1300 135 513) as you need to get the car checked first and they can tell you who does that and then take the old plates in with you. I think for driver’s licence they changed with little or no charge and I kept the same expiry date as the existing Victorian one. Easy!

Your website looks great but I don’t know where to begin!! I’m hoping you might be able to help me get started with some pointers!

We are from the UK and my husband is currently in the recruitment process for a job in Hobart. This has all happened very suddenly, and whilst we have been thinking for some time about a move to Australia, we haven’t really done anything serious about it! We thought it was most probably just a dream! We have visited Australia before (my husband had a work placement in Brisbane in 2012 and we accompanied him for 2 months) – but not Tasmania, although I gather that as Brits, we may find the climate there a little more comfortable! Anyway, whilst I know there will be a million and one issues for us to consider, the biggest one for us to resolve first is regarding our children. We have 2 teenagers (aged 14 and 16) and it seems like such a difficult time to move them from a schools point of view – although they are enthusiastic about moving, especially the youngest. I don’t know much about the Australian education system and was just hoping for some advice about the best places to start looking for further information and what the key issues (and benefits?!) for us might be. My feeling is that if we can’t make it work for them, then sadly we might not be able to make it work at all!

Any advice you could offer would be most greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Ceri

I’ve found out a little more since my original post and we’re moving towards thinking that our eldest son would be better completing his A Levels in the UK and then joining us, but things might work more smoothly in Australia for our youngest.

Anyway, my husband is due back tomorrow after 3 weeks out there, so we’ll no doubt have lots to discuss! If it all becomes more of a reality I’ll definitely be in touch for more help and advice with our move.

Hi there
We are thinking about moving to Hobart from sydney.
I was wondering if you could offer some advice-
My husband is a dental technician and has a laboratory
making crowns…would you have any idea how this kind
of business would go?is it difficult ?
I work in childcare -are ther job opportunities ?
We also have 2 small boys,one is ‘gifted’and need to find
a good primary school for them -we are not rich but need to
be close to good schools and were thinking about Tarooma.
My husband is Japanese so would like to be somewhere where
he will feel accepted,not where he will be the only Asian person…
does that make sense?
We have visited Hobart 7 years ago and loved it,but we were
tourists so maybe our impressions are a bit idealized.
If you could give us an opinion about any of these issues
we would be thankful

Hey Jo, I have been thinking of moving to Tasmania so that I may attend the University of Tasmania. I currently live in San Antonio, Texas. I just got my Associates Degrees. I Know there are many steps to moving to Tasmania but I was wondering if you had anymore advice for me. I just purchased my passport and is planning on applying to the school within the next month. When should I begin apartment hunting and job hunting? Any advice will be very helpful.

Hey, I would LOVE to plan a move to Tasmania—everything about it suits my partner and me. The hitch is this—we are over 50, and I can find no clear path to obtaining even a temporary visa. I am a nurse who works in a hospital administrative position (Patient Safety, Infection Control) but from what I’ve learned, there is simply no path to relocation for me or my partner (a builder). I have an uncle and cousins in Perth—but that doesn’t seem to be helpful either! I literally would dig ditches in Tasmania if someone would sponsor me to immigrate there! If there’s a nursing shortage in Tasmania, I am still fully capable of working as a staff nurse. . . so I will peruse the health services website for possible opportunities—and hope that I am attractive enough as a candidate to warrant sponsorship. I’ve still got 10-15 years of work left in me! If you have any advice, I’d welcome it.

Have you ever thought about promoting Tasmanian properties currently available for sale to mainlanders interested in retiring to Tasmania? We moved to Tasmania 30 years ago, we set up a business and operated it for 20 years, before selling the business and retiring. We are in the process selling out home and investment properties here, with the aim of moving back to NSW to be closer to family.

At the moment that falls outside the scope of what we do. With more resources we might. I am more than happy for you to add a link here to your property listing on realestate.com.au if you like. You never know if someone browsing may see it here.

Having moved from Sydney to Tasmania 30 years ago, you could say we did it the hard way. Having someone like Jo and Dale to work with, would have saved us a lot of time and wasted effort. Having someone on the ground that you can bounce ideas off and answer the million plus questions you will have, need I say more. We are now in the in the process of selling our home in Ulverstone and our investment properties in Ulverstone and Devonport, to move up to Tea Gardens in NSW closer to family. First of all I should point out some of the benefits for living in Ulverstone Tasmania, there is a 4 lane highway that links Devonport, Ulverstone, Penguin, and Burnie. Ulverstone is a 15 minute car ride East to Devonport, 10 mins west to Penguin and 20 mins west to Burnie, with government bus services linking them. Two hospitals, Burnie/Devonport linked by a dedicated government bus service. We have the Spirit(s) of Tasmania plying between Devonport and Melbourne (in summer, twice a day), Plus access to three (3) airports (Burnie/Melbourne – REX, Devonport/Melbbourne – Qantas, Launceston/Melbourne, Launceston/Sydney, Launceston/Brisbane – Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin). Great schools/Colleges/University. Ample work choices, OR there are opportunities to establish your own business like we did. Our old manufacturing business which started in Ulverstone with our products being sold around the world. We sold the company and retired, the company is still operating in Australia, but is now owned by a US based group. The pace is less hectic, homes are considerably cheaper (if our house was located in Sydney with similar views, it would be valued at 3 or even 4 times the asking price). The property is listed on realestate.com – http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-ulverstone-123925902
Tasmania is a great place to live and bring up your children OR to retire to in comfort, at a lot less than it would cost you to live in mainland capital cities.

Myself and my husband have been thinking of moving to Tasmania. The beauty and lifestyle that the state offers is a dream for us. Our son is also very enthusiastic about it. We are in India and run a small digital marketing firm here. We have local clients and clients from other countries as well. Being able to settle well in Tasmania would mean that we not only continue working with the current set of clients, but also.. more importantly build our business in Australia as well. We haven’t ever visit Australia and don’t know much about the Australian businesses and functioning. We feel that if we can make our business work out there, then we will be able make it work!

Hi, I and my husband have moved to Tasmania. We are currently living in Launceston. My husband is a student of UTAS and I have come along on souse visa. I am very confused with the place. It would be great if you can advice or suggest us if living in Launceston is a good idea for jobs of Hobart. Which one of the two place has the more job availability. We both are actually lost when it comes to job. We don’t know where and how to start. Please help us….